I'll Teach You To Dance
by MayFairy
Summary: Six months after the loss of two of their own, the crew of Serenity find themselves unexpectedly saddled with another passenger. Quiet, naive and an unapologetic runaway, Aden is soon captivated by River, who takes it upon herself to show Aden that it's easy to dance through the universe if there's someone to show you the steps. Post Serenity. River/fem!OC, Mal/Inara, Kaylee/Simon
1. Little Cat

**Set six months after the events of _Serenity_. Follows the pregnant!Zoe idea which is apparently canon in the extended universe, because the idea is brilliant and absolutely perfect for furthering Zoe's character. **

**Any featured Chinese is from Google Translate so I apologise for inaccuracies, and if anyone more knowledgeable wants to send me corrections, then I'm all for it. :) **

* * *

The first time River smiles at her, Aden is struck between wanting to keep standing there with stiff confusion and wanting to suddenly grin madly back at the strange girl across the dinner table. She's not even sure exactly what happened, or what had made her deserve the smile. They'd just been making small talk.

It's been three days since the crew of _Serenity _took on a new passenger, and she's still very much the stranger amongst a crew who are really more of a family than anything else. She's spent most of the time in her small room, reading the same book over and over again, coming out only for the meals where she eats silently and makes short replies to the questions politely put to her by the rest of the crew.

But today Aden had wandered out, finally craving some kind of social interaction even though she was more than used to going days without it. River had been in the dining room, passively snacking on a tiny bit of leftover protein, and the small talk had begun after a few minutes of relative silence. Aden had been startled at first; aside from their brief exchange upon her arrival, it was the first conversation the two of them had had.

By conversation, she means River was spouting some wondrous nonsense (which was apparently very normal for her) that made for entertaining listening, and Aden was listening and nodding, intrigued but unsure how to contribute to the conversation.

"It's okay to not know things, little cat," River had said suddenly.

"Little cat?"

"Little and quiet," The brunette had recited while doing a little twirl around the table, "Aloof except not really." Aden's very subtle look of incredulity had apparently been enough to make River smile, which had set off a strange backflip in Aden's stomach.

So there they stand, and Aden is still stuck between two reactions which both somehow seem natural even though the second one shouldn't. The first option wins out and she doesn't respond at all, but it's okay because already no one on the ship, least of all River, finds her apparent lack of social response to be surprising after three days of being subject to it.

_River understands,_ Aden realises suddenly. _She somehow knows what I'm feeling even if I don't show it. What Mal said is true. She can read people like instruction manuals. _

When Mal walks into the dining room to see River grinning at Aden and Aden watching River closely, he can't help but wonder if River is being her 'special' self again. Aden, as usual, gives nothing away in her face. From the little she's said of her life before _Serenity_, he gets the idea that she has good reason for the habit, but that doesn't mean it isn't more than a mite frustrating at times.

One weird girl on his ship had been enough. Unfortunately, the only thing louder than his - admittedly often dubious - common sense is money, which is how it all started.

* * *

_He's getting reading to shut the doors and tell River to take off when suddenly there is someone standing on the ramp. He opens his mouth to yell profanities at the girl standing there (it's been a long day and River won't shut up about cats for some reason and he is beyond tired), but somehow she beats him to it. _

"_Take me with you," She says simply from several metres away, and before he can tell her to respectfully piss off, he sees that in her hands is a sack that rustles in that magical way. His natural reply dries up in his throat and he wonders if he is actually considering this beyond strange and startling request. He's still debating when the sack is suddenly tossed into his hands. Instinctively, he peers inside and sees the kind of money that usually comes from one of their big jobs. Nothing like what a passenger would normally have. _

"_Where'd you get this?" Mal asks, regarding her suspiciously. No kid - or near enough - should have this kind of money. "It stolen?"_

"_Yeah. You're leaving the planet, it don't matter."_

"_It matters if those you stole from can follow us."_

"_They can't. I promise." He's good at reading people, and what he sees is sincerity and desperation in the extreme. He doesn't have the time or energy to argue, and with the kind of money now in his hands, he doesn't need to. He can drop her to the nearest planet or moon and walk away with enough money in his hand that he might be able to actually buy a new compression coil for Kaylee as well as enough fuel to last them a few more jobs. _

_But he wants a few more seconds, just to get a closer read on her, check they aren't signing up for a Saffron of a different kind. _

"_You're running from something." _

"_Yeah."_

"_Where you wanna go?"_

"_Anywhere that ain't here." Her hazel eyes plead with him, and a hint of the desperation he could see underneath comes through in her voice. "Please."_

_He stares at her for a moment longer before closing his hand more tightly around the sack and jerking his head toward the cargo bay. "Get in." _

_Relief drowns her features and she smiles in a way that isn't happy but purely grateful. "Thank you." A tiny, ratty bag over her shoulder is all she carries in with her, and a miniscule smile plays on her lips as she takes in the inside of Serenity. _

Well, at least if she likes Serenity, Kaylee might take to her and keep her out of the way of everyone else,_ Mal thinks. She's not much to look at, around River's age, similarly scrawny but with just a tiny bit more meat on her bones, though like River, still quite young with no curves worth mentioning._

"_What's your name?" _

"_Aden."_

_Jayne is not at all happy at the idea of another passenger - until he sees the money and quickly does a 180 and even asks Aden if she wants him to show her to her room. _

_Kaylee, unsurprisingly, jumps at the idea of having a new person to get to know, but is instructed by Mal to return to her repair work before she decides to get too sociable. _

_Inara doesn't seem too bothered either way - the money alone explains Mal's agreement and she has no problem with newcomers._

_Simon is mild enough about it but quietly seems worried that a new person might not necessary be trustworthy. Even with River's amazing abilities of self-defence, he still worries about the Alliance threat, though this new girl is about as far from that as possible and even a blind idiot can see that. _

_Zoe is the most impassive of all, she just makes a comment about finally being able to make some decent repairs to the ship and nods politely at Aden. Six months isn't quite enough time for her to regain her passion for the life they lead, not now that she's going it alone. The pregnancy helps though - he knows that the little piece of Wash that is growing inside her is what gives her some of the fire back in her eyes. _

_River is different. _

"_River, this is-"_

"_The new stray. I know." River doesn't even look around from where she is plotting their course and taking them slowly out through the atmosphere. _

"_My name's Aden," Aden offers the other girl meekly, and the brunette's head whirls around. Her dark eyes hold Aden's, with so much depth and complexity that Mal is almost concerned for the new girl for a moment, until River nods curtly and blinks, breaking her gaze. _

"_Yes. That's fine. That's good." _

_Mal just shakes his head, almost but not quite used to River's eccentricity, and as he and Aden move back through the ship to find some of the other crewmembers, he explains to Aden that River is special, a gift in her own way but a terribly confusing and volatile one. _

_Aden just ducks behind her long, straight hair and says that the same thing could be said about the 'verse in general. "I'm used to not understanding things. Don't imagine she'll be too different."_

* * *

It had quickly become apparent that the earnest side Mal had seen in Aden upon their first meeting was far from her usual demeanour. Her quietness had almost disturbed him at first, but her tendency to keep to her room makes his job easier and seems to keep her happy enough, so he doesn't complain. He figures the girl's got the right to do what she likes if it involves her keeping quiet and not getting in the way of any of the crew.

* * *

_Dinner the night of her arrival is a little awkward, as the atmosphere of family and comradery is now infiltrated by a stranger, who is unfortunately all too aware of her intrusion. _

_Conversation continues mostly as normal, and Aden eats her food quietly, finding herself opposite River at the table and the sole object of her gaze. The brunette won't stop looking at her like she's a fascinating book with pages being flipped every other minute. _

"_So, Aden, is this your first time off planet?" Inara asks politely, and Aden nods and is thankful for a logical reason to look away from the young pilot, because her brain doesn't rationally want to. "What was home like, for you?" _

"_Restrictive," Aden replies, and there's something in her calmly reserved eyes that makes it clear to everyone else that she isn't particularly keen on discussing it._

* * *

It's later that day that Aden watches from the runways as Inara teaches Mal to fence down below in the space of the cargo bay. It's entertaining and something to do, so she just drinks it in, watching the completely foreign movements with wide, captivated eyes.

There is something between the Companion and the captain, but Aden doesn't know much about those sorts of things, and so unless it gets obviously private, she doesn't see much harm in her watching.

When River suddenly appears in her peripheral vision and sits down next to her, Aden jumps a mile. Having only spoken to her twice (which is maybe even more than anyone else on the ship except for perhaps Mal), the dark haired genius is still a complete enigma. Not to mention, her stomach feels odd again.

"Their hearts sing for each other," River says, her eyes also following Mal and Inara, "But the ears in their heads are clogged up with fluff and excuses."

"I don't know much about things like that," Aden admits, and River's lips quirk, but her head tips to the side.

"It's quite nonsensical," She says, "Brains should be strongest, but hearts do more than they should. And then later, it's about noises and being naked and-" She notices Aden's pink cheeks, and giggles. "The little green and red people don't see how silly they are."

"I don't think that kind of love existed where I come from."

"No, it didn't."

It's the sort of thing that could so easily be brushed off as an assumption, but somehow Aden just _knows_ that there's more to it. "How do you know?"

"Your font is tricky but your pages are still open, little cat. Not hard to read if you know how, even if you sit there like a little statue, make them all nervous."

"I don't mean to. I'm just-"

"Not used to being allowed to be heard."

Aden wants to nod, or agree and tell her that she's right, but she somehow can't quite manage it and it doesn't seem like River needs her to anyway. Regardless, River gets up and twirls away, light on her feet, a lithe dancer, with more grace than should be humanly possible. Aden's eyes follow her until she's out of sight, because she's visually captivating and _shiny_.

"You alright?" A male voice from behind her makes Aden jump yet again, and she spins her head to see the other Tam sibling standing nearby. "I don't know what she said, you just look worried, and River can be...strange at times."

"She's...special, not strange," Aden finds herself replying, and gets up herself, "I'm fine. Thanks anyway, Doctor Tam."

"You can call me Simon," He laughs, "Please do, the others will never let me hear the end of it if they hear you calling me Doctor Tam."

Aden nods and moves off towards the passenger quarters. She thinks it might be time to return to her most common pastime, which is quietly reading over the only book in her possession - _A History of Unification_. She has no sympathy in her heart for the Alliance, but doesn't actively hate them either. Being from a border planet, it's all just sweet nothings from a place too far away to matter. But she isn't a complete idiot, and is reasonably sure of the brown coated captain and where he stands on the whole thing.

She decides to start the book again anyway. Familiar and rather bland words are better than no words at all. She's at it for ten minutes before there is a knock on her door.

Kaylee's head pops into sight. "Hey sweetie, how's it going?"

Aden shuts the book. "Fine, I guess."

Kaylee steps properly into the room. "You don't say much, do ya?"

"Never had a lot of reason to before."

The mechanic's eyes are soft as they regard the teenager. "Wherever you ran from weren't so nice, was it?" Aden just shakes her head. "What kinda place was it?"

"They called it New Eden, I think," Aden replies, "Dunno what kinda place. Think folks in town called us all God freaks. Said it was like a prison." She draws her legs up to her chest. "They weren't so wrong about the last part."

"Sounds like a miracle you even got away."

Aden shrugs. "I'm good with locks. Stole their money and bolted to catch the first ship leavin'. Turned out to be _Serenity." _

Kaylee comes to sit beside her. "Well, money'll get you almost everywhere. Captain's finally getting me a new compression coil from your stolen goods, so I just wanted thank ya."

"I'm just grateful the captain didn't say no. They'd have caught up to me for sure."

"You had a whole lotta money, it ain't no problem, and you don't cause no trouble. You're like a quiet little mouse."

"River calls me little cat."

Kaylee looks at the girl with vague interest and tries to see it herself. "Huh. Dunno if I see it, but she's the reader, not me." That's when she notices the book on Aden's lap. "Don't let the captain see you with that. He was an Independent sergeant, you know."

"I don't mean nothing by it," Aden says quietly, touching the cover with her fingertips, "Just like reading. This one's the longest one from back home, so it's the one I took."

"Well, maybe there will be a bit of money leftover to buy you a different book so you don't have read this_ liánbāng lèsè_," Kaylee says kindly.

The teenager looks up with newly alive eyes. "Really?"

"If it'll stop you reading that, I bet the captain will even help you pick one out," Kaylee chuckles, and she gets up. "I'll see you tomorrow. You get some sleep kiddo."

Aden watches her go before deciding it is reasonable advice and lies on her cot as her mind goes over the events of the day. Her brain still finds it hard to process that she has truly moved on from the only life she has known, and the fact that she has no real idea what the real world is like is not lost on her. She is all too aware and can only hope for the best and leave it as a problem for another day.

Soon enough, her eyes flicker shut and she's out like a light.

* * *

Mal has to stop and immediately frown when he sees the little albatross poking her head into their passenger's room. He comes up behind her and before he can say a word, without her head turning around, her hand comes up and covers his mouth.

"Shh," River whispers, "She's sleeping."

He moves her hand away. "Yeah, she is...so why're you watchin' her?"

"Kitties are cutest when they're sleeping," She replies, smiling as she leans on the doorframe. Mal blinks, opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it again.

"You know that's a girl and not a cat, right? Cos Kaylee mentioned something that made me think that maybe you're a mite confused on this," He says slowly, and River giggles before shutting the door to Aden's room and looping her arm through his as they walk away.

"Well, you know I'm not really an albatross," She says, and he gives her a crooked smile, "It's all in your head, just like she's in mine." She shrugs. "She's just a girl. A stray who needs a home."

They come into the dining room, where Zoe is sitting with a meal of protein and Kaylee is trying to encourage her to eat. The dark skinned woman looks green and shakes her head.

"You alright, Zoe?" Mal asks, and she just sighs and pushes her plate away from her.

"Damn kid's impossible to please, sir," Zoe complains, rubbing her curved belly, "Hate to say it but we need real food. Real soon."

"We're a day from Persephone," River puts in as she wandered through the kitchen, her fingers absently grazing the countertops, "27 hours to be exact. I can set the course."

The three women in the room look at Mal for confirmation and he nods. "Sounds good. We can see if Badger's got anything for us."

Jayne and Simon wander in then. "What's happenin'?" The former asks.

"Landing on Persephone within the next day or so, should get some work and food if all goes well," Mal explains, and Jayne nods, pleased by the prospect of both. The muscular man digs his fingers into his belt.

"Good, can't stand hanging round with nothin' to shoot, it ain't good for the soul," He says, making Simon roll his eyes behind him.

"Persephone's close enough for people to know about Alliance bulletins," Simon points out, somewhat nervously, "People could still be looking for me and River."

"Then if either of you have plans to be leaving the ship, best be quiet about it and not draw any attention to yourselves," Mal replies simply, eyes flicking between the Tam siblings. River just gives him a cheeky little grin that doesn't do much to reassure the captain but he knows better than to try and put a leash on the girl.

"What about Aden?" Kaylee suddenly asks. They all hesitate, having forgotten about the extra female on board. Eventually Mal just shrugs.

"Ain't no one looking for her, or so she says. Girl don't seem like a troublemaker, so I don't see why it should be a problem. Kid could stand to leave her room a little more and get some fresh air."

"We can take the cat for a walk," River muses as she sits up on the counter, making Mal rub his forehead.

"You keep this metaphor up, little albatross, and we're gonna need to have a talk about your fascination with this girl."

His words just make River grin wickedly and swing her feet like a five year old.

* * *

**I've never written Firefly fic before, and I'm really enjoying it! Please let me know your thoughts in a review, I could really use the feedback. **

**(Also, I'm worried about the tense just because present tense is tricky so if you spot any errors, again just let me know. If it's absolutely shitty due to tense then say so and I'll rewrite it in third.) **

**Thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated! :D **

**-MayFairy :)**

_Liánbāng lèsè_ - federal rubbish


	2. Like An Open Book

**I've been binging on Firefly so much over the last week and it's destroying me. Luckily, writing this fanfic actually helps. **

**Thanks to VortexFM, Mrs. 11th, TheAmazingDave, Demon of Serenity, The Disappearing Me, and princesslolitatheorca654 for reviewing! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

When Aden finally emerges from her room the next morning, she wanders down into the cargo bay to come across none other than Jayne, who's sitting on a crate polishing a very large and intimidating gun. She immediately hesitates and backtracks a few steps.

He notices her and looks up expectantly. "What?" She just stares and stands very still. "What the hell are you staring at?" He demands, making her flinch ever so slightly.

"Nothin'. Sorry," She says quietly, one hand clutching the side of her tattered trousers nervously, and just before she quickly runs up the stairs she blurts out, "I like your hat." As she runs off, he tugs on the woollen hat from his mother thoughtfully before shrugging and going back to his polishing, all the while muttering under his breath about weird girls on his gorram ship.

Zoe catches her when she trips around a corner, and Aden stammers out an apology.

"It's fine," Zoe assures her. "You looking forward to landing tomorrow?"

Aden blinks. "What?"

"No one's told you, huh?" The pregnant woman chuckles. "We're landing on a border planet tomorrow. S'called Persephone. It'll be your first time on a different planet, right?"

"Suppose it will," Aden says slowly, a tiny smile playing on her lips, "Is it safe?"

Zoe's lips twitch as she moves past the girl and makes her way down the hall. "Depends," She replies wryly before walking around a corner and out of sight.

"On what?" Aden murmurs, more to herself.

"Whether you plan on getting into trouble," A familiar voice says from behind her, making her jump yet again. She spins to see River's mischievous smile waiting for her. "But you don't."

"Can you read what's in my head?" Aden asks suddenly, and River ducks her head and smiles.

"Of course, but not in the way you think."

"I don't understand."

River's hands knot in her cardigan at the same time that her dark eyes follow their twisting movements. "People tell things all the time, without speaking. I just know how to listen." Her eyes flick back up to meet Aden's abruptly. "They all think you're so quiet, but you're just as loud as the rest. No one's ever listened to you before so you stopped talking. They made you feel tiny so you spent all your time on your own just breathing in the world...and planning how to run away and get off of it. But now you don't know where to go, what to do..."

"Stop," Aden whispers, and River goes still with her mouth still open and ready for the next word, even though it doesn't come. "Please."

"It's okay. No one here knows where they're going." River searches her face. "Captain doesn't like it either."

"I know we're books to you but some books aren't meant to be read," Aden says quietly, slightly upset but not showing it on her face. Or at least, she thinks she isn't and after the amount of practice she's had she thinks she would know but River can see so much more. As she turns and walks away, River calls after her.

"Every book's meant to be read. That's why they're written. They tried to make your words blurry but I can still make them out."

Aden bumps past Simon as she comes out along the runways and makes straight for the passenger quarters. She's not sure if she's upset, unsettled or something else altogether, but it's nothing she's ever known and she doesn't like it.

* * *

Simon watches the new passenger hurry away, an odd look on her face. He looks down from where she came from to see River standing passively in the distance. He sighs.

"River…" He says, approaching her, "River, did you say something to Aden?"

The brunette is still staring blankly ahead. "She doesn't like being read. Not used to it."

"I don't know that any of us are used to what you can do, _meimei_," Simon says reasonably, and River's mouth twitches as she shakes her head.

"Everyone reads everyone else a little. She's not used to being read at all. They put her in the dark so they didn't have to. She still thinks about it, being in there so long the sun burnt her eyes when it finally got to say hello again."

Simon's hands graze her face. "River, I don't think you should be telling me things like that. It's one thing for you to know them, but you can't share them when they're not yours to share." Her eyes finally move to look at him. "Okay?"

She sighs minutely as she looks away again. "Okay." Her hands clench and unclench several times. "Then you can't share either."

"I won't," He agrees, "She doesn't need to know you said anything. She probably won't be here for long, she's just catching a ride."

River smiles. It's secretive and just a little too knowledgeable for him to be entirely comfortable. Does she know something about Aden? Or about the future? He doesn't find the idea ridiculous so much as unsettling. But he just kisses her on the forehead and moves onto the kitchen to grab a bit of protein for Kaylee who needs it because she's tangled up in wires and unable to fetch it herself.

* * *

Everyone's up and ready to move by the time they land on Persephone at the crack of dawn. Aden wanders out of her cabin and almost immediately collides with the Captain.

"Aden. Good. Now, we're on Persephone." He notices her lack of recognition. "You aren't knowing about many other planets, are ya?"

She shakes her head and tries to look apologetic. "No. Captain. Sorry."

"Well, Persephone here is quite ideal for someone such as yourself. Got all kinda folk here rich and poor in every extreme and everything in between. Could be that you start from the bottom and work your way up, make something of yourself," the Captain suggests, and she nods.

"Work doing what?"

"Whatever it is you can do. Kaylee says you mentioned being good with locks? Makes stealin' possible if you're so inclined. Or you could learn it as a trade. People always gonna need locks all through the 'verse."

Aden suddenly feels a little brighter, having not considered that her ability to pick locks might be a career. It doesn't, however, erase the glaring truth of the fact that she's about to jump into the real world without knowing almost anything about how it works.

"Captain, you seem to know a lot about the 'verse and people's ways..." She says uncertainly, one hand holding the opposite arm at the elbow shyly.

Mal nods. "Reckon I do."

"Well that's just the thing, sir, I don't," Aden admits sheepishly, "Besides you and your crew, number of people outside of my home I ever talked to would fit on my hands, and inside my home they told us nothings and lies about the verse and people. So...if it's at all possible, sir, maybe before we part ways you could give me a few basic words of advice or somewhat along those lines?" She takes the lack of agreement in his face to mean a negative answer and so backtracks. "But you're very busy so don't trouble over it-"

He frowns and grabs her arm before she can flee from his presence like she was planning in doing. "What kinda man you take me for?" She can't remember the last time someone has touched her at all and she's not ready for it. Luckily, he notices her immediate panic and even manageds to guess its source and so lets go of her quickly. "I ain't the kind that throws a kid into the world when she's got no idea what she's gonna find. Well, maybe I could be, but you've done me something of a service in the money you paid for your short trip here and you've not caused any problems on my boat. That means I got a little time to try and impart some knowledge so you ain't dead in a ditch this time next week. That's common courtesy."

Aden tries and fails to not look terrified at the apparently real possibility that she could be dead in a week. "Thank you Captain. More than I can say."

He just nods again. "Yeah, well, I ain't no murderer of the innocent and letting you off your own without some words of advice would be close enough by the looks of things." She nods as well and goes to turn away, only for him to speak again. "Aden. Now I don't know why you aren't liking being touched and I don't wanna cos it ain't my business. But while in here people may care enough to respect that, fact of it is that in the real world no one else will. Expect to be shoved and pushed and just generally roughly handled. Ain't much you can do about it, but if they ain't so nice then you need to not show that it bothers you, or they'll be like to decide to use it against you somehow. Don't give them any reason to mess with you. Head low but not low enough to look like easy pickings."

Aden absorbs every word and again nods, this time more than once. It's not something she's given much thought to but even as she properly thinks about it she can recall how physical some of the crew are with each other even when they are just being friendly.

She's just...not used to anyone touching her at all. Back home the Elders hadn't touched the children except for punishment, and she'd avoided the few others her age whenever possible. The last time she'd been touched, before the Captain, had been...the last time the Elders had chucked her in solitary for three days for wandering too far out of the compound again. It had been a tight grip on the upper arms as she struggled and then a forceful push into the cell, then nothing.

Not the sort of thing that leaves pleasant memories. She's never really experienced a friendly physical touch, not really, not ever. To her touching means force and therefore pain or punishment, but she's seen now that there is a whole different world of possibilities.

She's not sure if the thought is exciting or terrifying or a mixture of the two. Being so wrong about something so fundamental is strange and she can't help but wonder what else she has wrong ideas about.

If only there weren't such a short amount of time to learn!

"Thanks, Captain. I'll keep it in mind," She eventually says after realising that she hasn't replied.

"Look, you stick around until after we talk to our contact in the city and then you can have a sit down with some of us and we'll try and impart what knowledge we can before we part ways. _Hǎo ma_?"

"Yessir. Thanks." This time she really does scurry off to grab her little bag of things before coming out into the cargo bay where the crew is gathering in preparation for leaving the ship. Kaylee is wearing sunny apparel and one of the brightest smiles Aden's ever seen, while Inara's clothes are flattering and elegantly simple in design. They are both such prime yet different examples of beauty that Aden has to smile for moment.

Jayne is prepping his guns in their holsters and Zoe has a coat that half hides her pregnancy bump as well as her guns.

Mal is just coming down the stairs as Simon and River emerge from the common room. The siblings are in understated clothing and River even has a hooded cloak over her flowing pale top and practical leggings. The brunette grins as she ducks her head in and out of the hood like a new game. When she catches Aden staring, the grin doubles in size.

"You should get one like this, then we could play and sneak," She suggests. "It's fun, see?"

"River! Sh!" Simon scolds.

"Do you have something against shoes, River?" Aden finds herself asking as she eyes River's bare feet.

"Can't feel, get in the way. Can't dance, no point."

"Well, not all of us are too inclined towards dancing, albatross," Mal says cheerfully as he joins them. "We ready to move out? Good. Zoe and Jayne are coming with me to Badger, the rest of you just stick in the market near the docks and we'll be back soon enough. Inara, you've got the money and know what we need?"

"Yes," Inara replies.

"Good. Let's go."

The group file out the open ramp door and split up, the three fighters going one way and the others filing into the crowded marketplace. Mal's point immediately comes back to resonate in Aden's mind - everyone is incredibly close and her chances of touching a stranger by pure accident are incredibly high. She pulls her arms in close and tries to avoid it regardless. Kaylee and Inara go ahead, the former brimming with talk of a mechanic shop where she might be able to finally find the compression coil before Inara just rolls her eyes and hands some of the money over to allow the perky mechanic to run off on her own.

"You coming?" Inara asks the two of the crew that remain and the one passenger. "I probably shouldn't be left to choose the food all by myself."

Simon chuckles slightly and he and River catch her up with Aden close behind. "Maybe not, but I probably still have a surgeon's budget in my head. Besides, I don't really have any requests or preferences."

"River, sweetie, what about you?" Inara asks.

"Strawberries," River replies, "For Kaylee." A cheeky and sheepish grin forms on her face. "And me."

Inara grins back. "Alright then, strawberries for a treat it is. And if we buy practical and cheap for the rest, we might have real food to last quite a while. What do you think, Simon, potatoes? They can be done in so many different ways, and they're cheap."

"Potatoes," He repeats, nodding, "Yeah. Sure."

The spectacular beauty of a woman - and Aden almost blushes at having thought of her as such - then laughs and gives Simon a funny look. "On second thought, maybe I probably could be trusted to do this on my own."

Simon looks relieved. "Yes, I think so. Don't get me wrong, I just - I'll eat whatever turns up on my plate that isn't protein. Besides, you have fantastic taste."

"Thank you," Inara laughs, "I'll catch you two soon. Don't wander too far and try not to lose Aden here, or the Captain might give you an earful." She walks away with the grace that doesn't match the plainness of the clothes she is wearing.

"Simon," Aden says suddenly, "Has she always been like that?"

Simon seems surprised to even hear her speak. "Huh? Inara? Like what?"

"You know...so pretty and graceful and not...ordinary…" Aden flounders with her words and can't verbalise her inherent admiration and awe. Luckily, Simon's eyes widen and he has apparently caught her meaning.

"Oh! Well, yes. She used to be a Companion. It's still weird to see her not dressed like royalty or...a Companion, I suppose."

"What's a Companion?"

At Aden's innocent question, River giggles from under her hood and Simon turns a very light shade of pink as his mouth opens and shuts several times.

"Well, um, like a...whore...I suppose, except not, much more respectable and trained and expensive…"

"What's a whore?"

Simon's face falls even further and he nervously twists his hands. "You know, I think you would be better asking Inara herself about this. She'd be more than happy to explain."

Aden nods. "Okay." Then, as an afterthought, she adds with a duck of her head, "Sorry for being so stupid. Don't know much about anything. Makes me curious, I guess. I don't mean to ask so many questions."

The look on Simon's face changes from awkwardness to confusion. "What? No, it's...it's fine! I'm just...not the best at explaining about...some things, I guess. Aden, don't ever -" His hand lifts to perhaps touch her shoulder but before Aden can even react, River's hand has darted out to grab it before it can get halfway. "- apologise...River, what are you doing?"

The sibling's meet eyes and River's are intent as she forcibly lowers his hand back to his side. "No touching. She doesn't like the touching."

"What?"

"Aden. You were going to touch her shoulder but you can't. Doesn't like being touched."

Simon's eyes move back to Aden with interest and concern. "Is that true?"

But Aden is too busy staring at his sister. "How…" She sighs. "You know everything about me just by lookin', don't you?"

River shakes her head quickly. "Only the things you say loud. And this one you were screaming."

"Well, thanks, I guess," Aden says, almost reluctantly. She _is _grateful, incredibly so, but the whole business of River knowing so much is still disturbing and she can't shake the constant feeling of disconcertion.

"Sorry, Aden, I didn't know," Simon adds, smiling apologetically.

"How could you?" Aden replies as she smiles back and shrugs.

He nods. "Well, what I was going to say before was: don't ever apologise for wanting to know things, and don't anyone ever make you feel bad for wanting to learn."

The statement throws her but she can't be entirely sure why. Maybe because no one has told her in so many words that she has the right to want to know things. For a moment she just stares at him before managing to reply, "Oh. Okay. Thanks."

That's when River catches sight of a jewellery stall and they are forced to follow and browse through the ornamented accessories that they could never buy. A considerable time later, Inara and Kaylee find them, Inara with bags of food and Kaylee sporting a cardboard box that no doubt contains her coveted new ship part.

"You guys been having fun?" Kaylee asks as she leans in to give Simon a peck.

"Just been looking at shiny things we have little use for and could never afford," He replies with an affectionate smile.

"One of my oldest pastimes."

"Jewellery and pointless shiny things," Inara muses, reaching her hand out to touch a beaded necklace, "You know, I think I have vague memories of those."

Kaylee and Simon laugh at her. "Regretting dropping the glamorous life of sex, money and pretty dresses?" The former asks.

Inara's smile is wistful for a fleeting second. "For my friends and my home? Not a chance."

"Plus it was worth it to see the Captain's face the first time you wore pants," Kaylee points out, and they all laugh.

"Yes," Inara agrees, "That was rather priceless. He'd probably never considered that I had legs."

Kaylee's look of disbelief and disagreement is plain, but she doesn't bother arguing. Aden can't help but wonder if this all has something to do with that 'something' she had sensed between Inara and Mal, the something River had described as their hearts singing for each other but being blocked by excuses.

The whole thing seems so confusing and complicated that Aden firmly decides to not even bother trying to understand.

"Shouldn't the others be back by now?" Simon suddenly asks, and flashes of concern cross some of the other faces in the group.

"Well, Badger has a bit of an edgy rep goin' by what the Captain and Zoe say, so he's probably just making trouble and delaying 'em," Kaylee says, a little nervously. "Should be okay, they know how to handle themselves. All the same, couldn't hurt to go back to the ship and wait outside."

So they all do just that, and have barely been there a minute when Jayne bursts from a throng of people in the distance.

"We got trouble!" He yells at them when he spots them. "Getting shot at! Mal and Zoe aren't far behind but we gotta go now!"

Almost all of them turn to River, the pilot, and the girl in the hood nods quickly and is about to turn and run into the ship when two armed men come into sight from the same spot Jayne had emerged from. The moment they spot him they begin firing shots in his general direction, which unfortunately happens to be the same direction as the rest of the crew. They all rush inside but not before several bullets hit home.

At the same time, Mal and Zoe come into view and manage to take down the two thugs before rushing into the ship with the rest of them and closing the door behind them.

"Mal, what the_ jiàn tā de guǐ_ was that?" Inara demands as they finally are able to take a breather. But before Mal can even open his mouth to explain, he sees Jayne leaning over a thigh imbedded with bullet, and Kaylee nearby grimacing over a wound in her upper arm with Simon already examining it.

"_Gǒushǐ_," He swears, but that's when River screams and they look where she is pointing, to Aden, who has been knocked to her knees and is clutching her stomach with a blood soaked hand.

The girl just whimpers and falls properly onto the floor.

"Simon!" River yells, her high-pitched voice hurting everyone's ears, "Simon, quick, you have to fix her!" She's clutching at her hair and Mal approaches her to put his hands firmly on her shoulders.

"River, you gotta fly us away from this place, right now. Your brother's not going to be letting anyone on this here ship be dying, so run along and when we're in the air, I'll come and relieve you. _Dong ma_?" He says firmly, and gets a very reluctant nod in response. River sprints up the stairs that led up to the bridge while Mal turns to Simon who is kneeling at Aden's side. "Well, Doc, you'd better get her into the infirmary. You want help getting her in there?"

"No," Simon answers very quickly, "It's fine, I can manage." He hoists Aden, who's unconscious already from the blood loss, into his arms and slowly staggers to the infirmary with Kaylee's help. It's stupid of him to refuse Mal's help really, but after what River had told him, knowing about Aden's fear or dislike of being touched, it seems better to try and make it that only he has to touch the injured girl, being the doctor and all.

When she's settled on the bed, he grabs his kit and gets to work while simultaneously trying to forget the shrillness and desperation of River's scream.

* * *

**Gosh, I really really love writing these characters and this universe, it's such good fun. As you can all see, River is definitely the damaged one out of her and Aden but Aden has a few issues, most of them stemming from lack of human interaction, but hers should be quite easily fixed. :) **

**Feedback and comments are greatly appreciated!**

**-MayFairy :) **


	3. Touch

**I really love writing these characters, it really helps when one is in a 'why is there no more Firefly' sad place. Thanks for all the reviews and support so far, you guys are great! **

**This chapter sees Aden make some progress in her issue of physical touch, plus it may or may not contain Inara giving her a sex talk. Enjoy! :P**

**p.s. there is now a River/Aden fanmix on 8tracks:**

**/mayfairy/i-am-still-painting-flowers-for-you**

* * *

When Kaylee pops back into the infirmary to see how it is all going, she sees River sitting on the ledge to the right, knees pulled up to her chest and her eyes fixed on the unmoving figure on the operating table. Simon is still bent over the injured girl, but Kaylee can see tight bandages and thinks she can see Aden's chest moving up and down slightly.

Only an hour since they were shot at, and Simon seems to have healed their passenger, or at least saved her life.

"How's it going in here?" Kaylee asks all the same, eyes lingering more on the younger Tam sibling. River doesn't even blink.

"She's not going to die," The brunette says simply, "Not in any shape to go anywhere though."

"That's okay, River, we ain't gonna kick her out til she can hold her own," Kaylee assures her quickly, coming to sit by her and put an arm around the girl's shoulders, "We wouldn't put an injured girl out into the world on her own."

"She understands a lot but knows nothing," River breathes quietly, again looking at the unconscious girl as if she were an open book, "I don't comprehend. It's the same, only different."

Kaylee smiles and gives her a nudge. "That ain't the same at all. She doesn't know anything and you know about almost all there is to know."

"But she's lost...and wandering…"

"River, sweetie, you ain't lost, you're right at home here on _Serenity_."

"Home on _Serenity_." River looks at one of her hands, holding it out and flexing it experimentally. "Two by two…two by two...two by two...not five thousand but just three. Now two, but one day it could be three again. A different third, though."

"Why're you so worried about Aden, sweetie?" Kaylee asks curiously.

"There's no one else."

"To worry about?"

"To worry for her. Never has been."

"River…" Simon warns from the infirmary table, "What did we decide about telling stranger's secrets to others?"

River snorts and looks at him as if he is an idiot. "Secrets. They're printed on her forehead as easy to read as _Yī Èr Sān._"

Kaylee and Simon share a lost look before the former speaks. "_Meimei, _it's only like that for you."

"Doesn't make it incorrect," River says stubbornly, rolling her eyes.

* * *

When the world shifts from nothing to black to blur, Aden blinks to try and clear the image in her eyes. The tinkling hum in the back of her mind makes it difficult but manages to give her a firmer grip on consciousness all the same.

A minute later, her eyes are open and she's looking at River, who's sitting on the bench to her left. What she had thought was a tinkling hum is actually River's faint and airy singing.

"_My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea…"_

It isn't a song she knows, but then she only knows a few hymns that would be sung back home, so it's not saying much. What is a 'bonnie'?

That's when Simon comes back into the infirmary and looks surprised but pleased to see her awake.

"Aden, how are you feeling?" He asks.

"My belly feels kinda funny, but I feel okay, Doctor Tam."

Simon's face takes on an expression that is a mix of relief and old exasperation. "Just Simon, remember?"

"Sorry. Simon."

"Now, I know that you don't like being touched, but I need to check your wound and put on clean bandages, and there's no way to do that without touching you," He says slowly, "So…"

River jolts back to attention from wherever her mind had been and she gets up to stand on the opposite of the table to Simon. Her hand stretches out towards Aden's limp arm, moving an inch at a time.

"What are you doing?" Simon and Aden ask in perfect unison. The same confusion and nervousness clouds their voices.

"I'm going slowly so you can stop me if you want," River says seriously, "But you need someone to hold your hand and then you won't notice Simon. It'll be nicer like that."

Aden opens and shuts her mouth a few times, not entirely sure what to say. It's a kind offer but she's just not sure that she wants anyone touching her just yet. But is there any choice? She'll have to start dabbling in physical contact sooner or later.

"Alright," Aden says quietly, eyes coming up to meet River's dark, dark ones. Her hand lifts up until there's only an inch between it and River's. "Just...softly, please?"

River just smiles and moves her hand the tiny distance needed. Her fingertips slide across Aden's forearm with the softness of rain and the static of night air before thunderstorms. Involuntarily, Aden takes in a sharp breath. Her eyes are fixed on the slow, feather light trail that ends with River's hand slipping into the curve of her's and just holding it.

"Um," Aden says, rather blankly, "...thanks."

The words make River laugh lightly and Aden joins her, just for a few moments.

"You okay?" Simon asks her, and she nods. "Are you alright for me to start changing the bandages?" She nods again. What seemed like a daunting thing a few minutes before no longer seems so bad.

Sure enough, the light pressure of Simon's professional touch is alien but inconsequential in comparison to the feel of River's hand in hers. River's hand is silky and small and warm and quite unlike any inanimate thing she's ever touched. Probably because she's physically attached to another living, breathing, thinking being and just the thought of it is strange.

It's not long before Simon is done and Aden is smiling and thanking him profusely. Kaylee and Inara come back in not long after and congratulate Simon on a good job as well as expressing that they're happy that Aden is okay. Kaylee after that practically drags Simon from the room, leaving the two teenagers with the ex-Companion.

Inara is looking at their joined hands with an expression that makes it look like she's noticed something, but Aden doesn't think she would understand the significance, with only Mal and the two Tams knowing about her lack of history with physical touch. All the same, Inara smiles at them as if they've just told her a secret.

"River, we're still holding hands," Aden tells the brunette as she realises, and River just giggles under her breath and leans down to half whisper in her ear.

"I know," She says as if it's a conspiracy in itself. "We forgot to stop. Do you want to?"

Aden doesn't actually even know if she does want to stop, but thinks it might be best to not have too much of what is apparently a good thing. Especially a good thing she hasn't had for as long as she can remember. Hesitantly and somewhat reluctantly, their hands detach and River's falls limply back down to her side.

"If you two are fine, then I might leave you to it," Inara says to them after silently watching the whole exchange. She turns to leave and begins to walk out the door.

"Um, Inara," Aden calls after her, making her stop and turn back around, "Simon said you could probably explain to me what a Companion is, because you used to be one. He said it was like a whore, but a different kind, but I don't know what that is either. Is it a bad thing? Because I feel like I might have heard it mentioned once, but in a bad way."

Inara's face becomes almost clouded and even more difficult to read. River meanwhile slowly drifts towards the infirmary door.

"I should get back to the bridge," the prodigy murmurs, and slips out without so much as a farewell or a 'see you later'. After watching her leave, Inara sits on the bench to Aden's left with an amused look on her face.

"So Simon pointed you my way?"

"Yes. He seemed embarrassed when I asked him to explain."

Inara laughs, and the action only serves to make her even more beautiful than she already was. Again, Aden has to try not to blush. "Well, there isn't too much to explain. A whore is somebody who exchanges sex for money. They are professionals who get paid to have sex with people who would rather buy the experience. Companions are similar to whores, except we would be expertly trained in all manner of disciplines, and we require a license to practice."

That doesn't clear much up for Aden. "What's sex?" The look of bewilderment on Inara's face is rather funny to Aden, especially how her mouth even drops open half an inch before she manages to look dignified once again.

"Oh sweetie," Inara finally says, her voice sounding like that of an adult talking to a child. It's a tone Aden is familiar with, but hadn't experienced much on _Serenity_. "You know, I think you and I need to have a proper talk. But maybe once you're better. You can come to my shuttle and I can try to explain. But didn't they teach you anything where you came from? About what people who love each other do? About what married people do and where babies come from?"

Aden dumbly shakes her head. "They didn't say much about any of that. Said we didn't need to know about what bein' married meant until we were married. Said that they didn't want us getting ideas. Except I think they wanted me to like boys and men and I never have, not in the way they seemed to talk about, even if I still don't know what that way is exactly."

"You just like girls?"

"I like boys just fine, but there's somethin' different about girls, because girls are so...I dunno, sometimes they would make my stomach feel all funny. And then there's girls like you."

Inara lifts an eyebrow. "Like me how?"

"Like their faces were painted by angels or somethin'," Aden blurts out before covering her mouth with her hands, "Sorry. You're so pretty I forget what I'm saying sometimes. But you don't make my stomach feel funny, I just think you're beautiful."

"Well, thank you," Inara says gracefully, smiling and not seeming to be worried by the comment, "But can I guess that River makes you get butterflies in your stomach?"

Aden frowns to think about it like that. "I suppose it is a bit like butterflies, yeah. And it does seem to happen around River. At first I thought I wasn't sure about whether I liked being around her or not, her being a reader and all, but now I know I do. There's just...something about her."

"But you don't know what any of it means, do you?" Inara guesses, and Aden shakes her head hopelessly.

"No, and it seems like I should."

"When you're up and about again, I'll do my best to explain it."

"Thanks, Inara," Aden says as the ex-Companion gets up to leave, "Really. But...but you won't tell anyone about River and the butterflies, will you? I just...I just feel like I don't anyone to know, since I don't even really know what it means yet."

"Of course," Inara assures her, smiling gently back at her, "Your secret is safe with me. But if it makes you feel any better, I think she feels the same way about you." She smiles wryly. "It's no secret that she's somewhat fascinated by you."

As Inara leaves, Aden settles herself back on her pillow and smiles to herself.

* * *

A few uneventful days later, Aden is back on her feet and just having to tread gently. It's strangely nice to be able to take her meals with the crew again.

"S' probably best if we don't head back to Persephone for a little while," Mal says, half to Aden and half to everyone else, "Don't think we're entirely welcome there with some folk. Sorry that it happened before we could get you on your way."

Aden just shrugs. "It's okay, Captain. I think every hour I spend on this ship, more I learn that I need to know about the 'verse and life in it. You all know so much about so many things."

"For a lot of us, it is or was our job to know those things," Inara says, and Kaylee and Simon nod in agreement.

"Well, I think it's nice you're sticking around," Kaylee says warmly as she smiles at Aden, "Especially now that you're less afraid of talkin'."

"Maybe that bullet knocked some courage into me," Aden replies, making a few of them laugh. Not River. River, a few seats down, frowns deeply and starts shaking her head, muttering under her breath all the while. It isn't until Simon warily places a hand on her arm that she settles and smiles at him.

"Everything okay down there?" Mal asks, and the two Tam siblings nod. "Good."

Dinner finishes without anything eventful happening. Kaylee approaches Aden and goes to touch her on the shoulder, only for Aden to flinch away despite everything that had happened in the infirmary a few days before.

"Sorry," Aden blurts, "I just...I'm sorry. Especially since you were so nice lending me some of your clothes."

Kaylee's brief confusion and rejection immediately gives way into her usual cheeriness. "Well, I don't get much reason to wear some of these dresses, so until we can stop and either drop you off or get some stuff just for you, these suit you just fine."

The blue dress reaches just above Aden's knees and has some lovely patterns on it, but it doesn't look fancy and Aden actually likes it like that. She also likes how it ties up behind her neck and leaves her arms bare like the shirts she would wear at home. She likes being able to feel her hair on her shoulders. She's not so sure that her old clompy boots from back home entirely go with it, but they're all she has.

"Thanks again for this," Aden says, and Kaylee just nods, smiles, and links arms with Simon as the two of them head out. River is nowhere to be seen and Aden is about to head back to her room when she finds Inara standing nearby.

"Did you want to have that talk now?" Inara asks, and Aden realises that she definitely wants to, because she hates not knowing things and there's so much she doesn't know.

"Yes please," She says quickly. Inara gestures for her to follow and they walk down the corridor and along the walkways until they come into her shuttle. It's decorated in red and silks, with a lingering but very faint smell of incense.

Inara gestures to the lounge seat. "Have a seat. Make yourself at home." She looks around. Her flowy shirt and pants don't quite match up with the luxury of their surroundings. "I don't know why I spend some of my last pay on making this place look like this again. It just seemed like a good idea. I can't even pay the rent for this anymore, but Mal just…" She laughs a little. "I don't know. Pretends like nothing has changed."

"Why did you stop being a Companion?"

"I...I needed a change. And stopping meant I never had to leave _Serenity_." The two of them sit, close but with enough room that Aden isn't uncomfortable. Inara notices how the girl's eyes fix on the space between them. "Aden, do you have a problem with touching other people?"

Aden frowns. "Not a problem, exactly...I'm just not used to it. At all. What you saw, me and River a few days back, that was the first time I'd touched someone for as long as I can remember, 'cept when the Captain did it by accident. But he realised right away and let go. He's good like that. Looks after people."

Inara smiles. "Yes. He does." She gets up and starts making tea, which seems like an odd thing to do, but then what would Aden know? "Now, Aden, what you have to realise is that for a girl your age to not know what sex is, is very unusual. Most people hear of it, if not from parents or guardians then by vulgar word of mouth from people around them. But you've clearly lived a very sheltered life so it almost makes sense, given how many others things you've never heard of before. But sex is a fundamental part of human existence, so it's important that you know about it. And it's possibly best that you learn this from me, because it's my area of expertise. Kaylee said you're from a religious community, which means that they would have probably given you a very narrow and unhealthy portrayal of it."

"Okay," Aden says, unsure what else to say just yet.

"Also, something just occurred to me. You've been told so little...do you even know what men have between their legs?" Seeing Aden's lack of comprehension, Inara laughs as she pours the tea. "Well, I imagine you know what you have between your legs. Almost all women have the same. But almost all men have something different. Of course, you're interested in women so I suppose I don't really need to go into that. Just know they're different. And a lot of the time, romance will happen between a man and a woman. But not all the time, sometimes two women or two men will fall in love, and that's just as normal, just a little less common."

"Alright, makes sense so far."

"Pairings between men and women are more common because when they have sex, their different bodies can make babies."

"Oh." Aden felt her eyes widen a little. "That makes a lot of sense, actually. But what does having sex actually...you know...mean? I get that it's what you would do, and you got paid for it, but..."

"Well," Inara says, passing Aden a tiny cup of tea, "The mechanics of it are pretty simple, but different depending on who is involved. When it's men and women…" She launches into a brief and concise explanation that has Aden choking just a little bit on her tea and making an incredulous face.

"Really? That sounds just plain weird," She says honestly, and something about the complete innocent sincerity in her tone makes Inara laugh, so hard she has to cover her mouth. Aden can't help but eventually join in until the two of them are in complete hysterics just in time for Mal to come in and stare at them like they're aliens.

Unfortunately, given their topic of discussion and just how much Aden had learnt about men in the ten minutes previous, his appearance only makes the whole thing worse. Aden's laugh turns into helpless squeaking, which changes the curiosity in Mal's face into complete bewilderment.

"What the hell is this?" He asks, but Inara just keeps laughing. About twenty seconds later, Aden can compose herself long enough to form a reply.

"Sorry, Captain, Inara and I were just...talkin' and you came in at a real bad time," She admits, chewing on her nail sheepishly, "We didn't mean nothin' by it." When he doesn't look like he believes her, she insists, "Promise."

Inara just nods several times, still trying to get her giggles under control. "We're fine, Mal."

"Well," He says hesitantly, "Alright then. I was just...checkin'."

"You can go now, Mal," Inara says pointedly, as if she still owns the shuttle, "This is a private discussion."

Aden tries to hide her shocked expression at Inara's lack of care for Mal's authority. But all it takes is another look at Inara before they are giggling as he stalks out, shaking his head and muttering about 'gorram crazy women and mutiny on his boat'.

"So, Inara, if most girls like men, but some girls like girls...what do you like?" Aden thinks she likes Mal, and River seems to think so too, but Aden knows very little about all this and River's...well...half crazy for want of a better word.

"I like both," Inara says simply. "In the end, for me it's really about the person, and not what's between their legs."

Aden nods. "That makes sense. But if men and woman...fit together...then how does it work with two men or two women?"

"Do you really want or need to know how it works with men?" Inara asks with another lifted eyebrow, and Aden reconsiders, shaking her head and blushing.

"Actually, no, not really. But with girls...um...yes."

So Inara launches into another explanation about something similar but mechanically different, something that certainly sounds less utterly bizarre but still strange and blush-worthy.

"And the other part of all this that you need to understand that there are many different meanings to it. Some people only have sex within marriage, others only when they're in love. But some people do it just because it's enjoyable and they'll do it with a stranger," Inara tells her.

Aden just blinks. "People do _that _with strangers?" She asks flatly.

"Sometimes. Jayne, for example, never does it with anyone but strangers, to my knowledge," Inara says, making a face that strongly suggests she'd rather think about anything _but _Jayne doing such things.

"Well, I don't think I'd ever want to do it unless it was with someone I really…" Aden shrugs. "And if I knew they felt the same about me."

"And you have a crush on River."

"A crush?" Aden twists her hair in her fingers and pulls a thoughtful face. "Is that what it's called?"

"When you like somebody in the way that turns your stomach inside out?" Inara laughs. "Yes. It's not love, because love is deeper and vastly more complicated." The face she pulls makes Aden wonder if perhaps she and River are right about her and Mal. Her words seem just a little bit too knowledgeable and her relationship with Mal seems like it could fit her description. "A crush comes before that. Sometimes it just fizzles out and nothing happens, and sometimes it turns into more."

"Well, I think I might have a real little crush on River," Aden says anxiously, laughing slightly, "But no one except for you needs to know that, and that's only because you knew before I did."

"No one else needs to know, don't worry, I won't be saying anything."

"Besides, there's always the chance that I'll only be here for a little while longer," The youngster points out, "So like you said, could just be nothin'."

"It could just be a passing fancy for a pretty girl who shows an interest, that's true, and you're right, you'll probably be gone soon," Inara agrees, "But I feel like I should say that in the case of the tiny possibility of anything happening between you and River, a sexual relationship like that which I described might not be possible."

Aden has to think about it, just for a second. "Because of the way she is."

Inara nods, her eyes soft and solemn. "In many ways, she's a child. Even physically she's only just surpassed that. But mentally? She's unstable, vulnerable, and in many ways incredibly young. Which makes sex a delicate issue."

"But it doesn't have to be, not with me," Aden immediately says, her voice earnest, "No matter who it was, I'd want to wait til I was sure I wanted it, or wait until I knew if I wanted it at all, cos I'm not so sure I even do. River being the way she is wouldn't matter to me at all, I'd just be what she needed."

"You know," Inara replies with a warm smile, "Anyone else and they would think this conversation was strange, seeing as you and River barely know each other and even the speculation of this should be absurd. But I was trained in this, and I pay attention. You two watch each other without realising, and River mentions you frequently when you're not in the room, just for a moment. And when I saw you two in the infirmary...well let's just say that I felt like I was intruding on something incredibly...private. I can tell just by the way you look at her that you think highly of her."

"It's just the way she moves, and talks...it's like nothing I've seen before, and I don't think I'll ever meet someone like her again. But that's a thing to think about some other day. Thanks, Inara, but I should get some sleep." Aden gets up and so does Inara. The latter lifts a hand, as if to offer some friendly touch before remembering to think the better of it. "Maybe if I…" Aden lifts her own hand, and very consciously places it on the corner of Inara's shoulder, just for a moment. "See? I'm learning."

She and Inara share smiles before Aden thanks her again and leaves the shuttle. She half expects River to be circling outside like an owl, but when she creeps back to the area where she and the Tams have their quarters, she can see River sleeping deeply away through a crack in the door.

Perhaps tomorrow, the two of them can play some sort of game together. That might be fun, and it would be worth it just to see River laugh, just once.

* * *

**Hope you guys like it! Feedback is wonderful. Thanks for reading! **

**-MayFairy :) **


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